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FOUR IMPORTANT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME WITH THE APPRENTICESHIP LEVY

The Apprenticeship Levy, that started ten months ago, is still causing some companies a headache.

Some are begrudgingly attempting to get to grips with it, whilst others are trying to ignore it in the hope that it will go away. However, if used correctly, this Government Levy becomes a company’s friend, rather than enemy.

Whilst some are embracing the Levy, and dedicating time to ensure it is used to its maximum benefit, others are being left behind issuing statements such as these below;

‘Just another government tax, to extract money from large successful businesses’
‘It’s not our responsibility to educate the countries youth population’
‘I’m going to have to employ more staff, costing more money and draining more resources’
‘I’ve heard about it, but not really sure what it is’

It is important to view the Levy not as a tax, but more as an insurance policy, or savings account. It only becomes a ‘tax’ when not used as intended. There are specialist companies that are offering their expertise in this area to businesses that require assistance in establishing a cost effective and beneficial training programme.

Four Opportunities that come with the Apprenticeship Levy:

1. Attracting New Talent - Businesses obviously want to recruit the best employees, but in the current market, where the ‘candidate is king’ and has a wealth of choice, how do you as an organisation become that employer of choice? Candidates are now looking at how that employer will support them as an employee to progress through their career. Leadership & Management programmes for First Line Managers (Level 3) through to Senior Directors (Degree Apprenticeships) supported by the Apprenticeship Levy are a huge advantage when promoting roles.

2. Retention – A key reason many people change employment is the feeling of not being valued or invested in. Offering internal Apprenticeship programmes to your existing employees supports their desire to progress within their career, makes employees feel that they are valued and often the ‘quiet’, unseen workers who come in every day and ‘just get on with it’, will often come to the forefront to display qualities that had previously been hidden.

3. Employee Progression – An Apprenticeship is not just for those people leaving education, it’s for anyone, at any age or stage in their career. Moving into a new role is often daunting - having performed excellently within a particular area, employees find themselves facing new and unfamiliar challenges. In today’s businesses, the number one issue for new managers is a lack of mentoring and support. Staff may require a skills boost in areas such as management techniques required to lead a team. Structured Leadership & Management programmes support the development process of your evolving workforce from 1yr to 5yrs, depending on the career pathway of the candidate.

4. Ensuring Future Growth – Why do businesses grow? Is it great customers? Great products? Great Service? Great Marketing? No - fundamentally it’s great people who ensure a business grows to its full potential. Ensuring people reach their full potential is where the utilisation of the Apprenticeship Levy is most effective. A targeted workforce development programme, designed to meet the needs of both the learner and the businesses growth plans!

So, let’s go boldly ahead and find opportunities instead of potholes. Take control of the Apprenticeship Levy and engage with specialists who can show you how simple it is to:

· Become an Employer Provider.
· Embrace apprenticeship programmes.
· Reduce your commercial training budget - by utilising the apprenticeship levy to train for the skills you will lose in 3-5 years, rather than rushing to hire and train when you’re faced with retiring employees.
· Work with sector specialists to design engaging, thought provoking and innovative programmes that ensure your employees are challenging processes, pushing boundaries and steering their company to the forefront of their industry.

Designed, delivered and managed correctly, Apprenticeships work, as they’ve been proven to work for 100’s of years. Successful programmes have evolved through the years and remain a steadfast route into many careers.

Embrace the Apprenticeship Levy and work with specialists who can remove the hassle,
and support and develop your ideas to your company’s long-term benefit.